Wednesday, June 11

Tonight, I am the newest member of a great organization, the “Sparks Republican Women”.I was originally invited to attend a meeting and dinner of the Sparks Republican Women by a past officer Connie Fent.Connie & I met at the Nevada State Republican Convention where we were both delegates.It was a funny meeting of sorts in that “it’s a small world sort of way” as we both kept passing each other in the hallway with that “Gee…I know her from somewhere” look on each of our faces.Then, we ended up by happenstance sitting next to each other on the delegation floor.After a brief chat, it dawned on us that she actually had her vehicle in my shop getting it repaired at the time and that’s where we first “met”.

The beauty of joining this particular group is two-fold.I actually live in Reno, but both the businesses we own are in Sparks, so I could have joined either the Reno group or the Sparks group.The Sparks women though meet at night after work and the Reno chapter usually meets during the lunch hour.It’s just too hard to get away from work on a regular basis for me, and the evening meetings are a great excuse to “have dinner out” and enjoy a nice night out once a month.The other benefit of this group (whether Sparks or Reno) is that by being a member of Sparks Republican Women you actually gain membership to both the Nevada Federation of Republican Women and the National Federation of Republican Women which is the largest political organization for women in the USA…currently over 100,000 strong.

It is refreshing to gather with like minded individuals who still see Conservatism and Republican values as the course our nation needs to continue in order to survive as the greatest nation on earth.The group has great local and state guest speakers at each meeting and I continue to learn something new I didn’t know before I got there each time I go to a function.Knowledge is power, and meeting and hearing from local officials and statespeople is a great way to hear the views and “see a person” in action in a small town-hall type setting.It certainly makes for a more informed vote when that time rolls around.

Tonight our guest speaker was Sparks, NV mayor Geno Martini.It’s interesting to hear straight from the horse’s mouth some of what’s going on in our city and neighborhoods and to hear the reasons why both good and not so good things happen the way they do.As a business owner I certainly know that pressure that comes from “being at the top” when some around you do not understand WHY some decisions are made and how some decisions come to be made and how the process works.

I encourage any local women that are interested in becoming more activly involved in the community and learning about our local issues to come to a meeting and hear the speakers and the views of the officials we elect to govern our Nevada citizenship.Most meetings are held at “The Resort at Red Hawk”.The food is wonderful, there is a no host bar available for evening cocktails, and the facility is very nice and the service of the staff is great.

Dinner in July will feature guest speaker, the honorable Judge Patrick Flanagan of the Second Judicial District Court of Washoe County, and in August we will be honored with the presence of our esteemed Congressman Dean Heller.Husbands or guests are welcome to attend and there is a nice mix of many men and women present at the dinner functions.Last month we heard from Nevada Assemblywoman Heidi Gansert.

Most members proudly wear a pin on their lapels that simply states 54%.That represents the fact that in any given election, 54% of those who vote are women.Just think, not so many years ago women didn’t even have the right to vote, and now the greater majority of those that get involved and take the time to complete that civic duty and enjoy that precious right in a nation of democracy are women.

It’s our duty as women and the matriarchs of our households and families to know what’s going on around us and know what our candidates and elected officials are up to.Please consider joining in the fun and the self education of getting involved in your community.Reno/Sparks is much like Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas/Henderson, or any other area that has “twin cities”.To the naked eye of any “passer-through” one would not know when leaving one twin city and entering another one.Women from Reno, Sparks, Galena, Incline, or any surrounding community in the Truckee Meadows are cordially invited to come.The mission is the same for all and it’s our great state of Nevada and our conservative majority congressional district that is important.Anyone interested in attending a meeting is invited to e-mail me for more details.There is a “Contact the Author” link in the top left sidebar of this blog.Feel free to shoot me a line for information.I hope to see you at the next dinner.Be a proud informed Republican voter…one of the 54%.